Police seek gunman who wounded 7 at crowded fair

Nobody was killed in the shooting late Saturday at the Coastal Empire Fair on Savannah's suburban south side, but seven people were treated for gunshot wounds at area hospitals, Savannah-Chatham County police spokesman Julian Miller said Sunday.

"The place was packed," Miller said. "It was Saturday night at the fair, and that's a big night."

Witnesses described seeing a gunman wearing a dark jumpsuit, he said, but investigators hadn't ruled out the possibility there was more than one shooter.

Police announced no arrests by Sunday evening and released no further information on what happened inside the fairgrounds or what motivated the shootings. Several people were detained and questioned Saturday night, but all had been released by investigators. Miller said police were working Sunday to find answers as quickly as they could.

"They stayed through the night canvassing the area, looking for clues and were back again at daylight to make sure they hadn't missed anything," Miller said. "They interviewed everybody who was detained last night and are continuing to move forward with the investigation, talking to witnesses and victims and trying to pull everything together."

The shooting erupted in the middle of the crowd at about 10:40 p.m. Saturday, less than an hour before closing time at the fair. Police said six of the victims were teenagers, aged 14 to 19. The other was identified as a 36-year-old woman. Miller said the victim believed to be most seriously wounded underwent surgery and was listed in fair condition. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, he said.

Memorial University Medical Center spokeswoman Dawnn Henderson said Sunday at least two of the shooting victims had been released from the hospital.

Miller said he didn't know if any of the victims were specifically targeted in the shooting or if any of them were random bystanders.

The Coastal Empire Fair is an annual event organized by the Savannah Exchange Club. The club reopened the fair Sunday, which had already been scheduled as its final day, said Ted Akins, the fair's general manager.

"We are praying for the victims and their families," Akins said. "That's all I'm going to talk about it."